1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zoom optical system which is an optical system suitable for especially an electronic imaging optical system, and has a large aperture, and is excellent at an image forming performance, and an electronic imaging apparatus using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
The technology of digital camera has reached to practical use level in realizing a high pixel number (high quality picture), or a small thinning in size. Consequently, the digital camera has taken place for silver halide 35 mm film camera not only in function but also in market. Under such circumstance, there is a performance such that a photographic subject can be finely photographed even in an environment with little quantity of light as one of performances required in the next step. Thus, also in an optical system, while high image forming performance and thinning of it which have so far been achieved are kept as it is, a large aperture ratio has been demanded intensely.
So far, a positive refracting power preceding type zoom optical system has been known as a zoom optical system suitable for large aperture ratio. The positive refracting power preceding type zoom optical system comprises, in order from an object side, a first lens group having positive refracting power, a second lens group having negative refracting power, a third lens group having positive refracting power, and a fourth lens group having positive refracting power.
On the other hand, a negative refracting power preceding type zoom optical system has been known as a zoom optical system suitable for thinning. This negative refracting power preceding type zoom optical system comprises in order from the object side, a first lens group having negative refracting power, a second lens group having positive refracting power, and a third lens group having positive refracting power.